Hi to all of The Made From Pinterest Fans! This is Melanie from Artzy Creations and I’m excited once again to share this coloring page with you. Lately, I’ve really gotten into creating coloring pages. I’ve been an art teacher now for over eighteen years and have always loved drawing. Both of my daughters have a great love for drawing too. Sometimes, when I couldn’t find just the right coloring pages for the girls, I would create my own for them. So, this Free Christmas Ornament Coloring Page was actually a special request by my oldest daughter who wanted some pretty ornaments to color in. Now, I’m sharing it with all of you! If you haven’t tried coloring a coloring page in awhile, (which I admit, I hadn’t done in a long time before I started creating these), you’re in for a real treat. Coloring pages are actually very relaxing and give your busy mind a chance to unwind just a little bit. So, why not give it shot and see what you think!

This is a great coloring page to keep the kiddos occupied over the upcoming Holiday break. Use crayons, colored pencils or markers… take your pick. You and your kids will love it!

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT COLORING PAGE HERE!

Don’t forget to print a page off for yourself and sit down with a nice cup of coffee or tea. Or join your kids and make it a fun family activity where you all spend some time together, coloring.

I hope you enjoy this. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I will see you in 2016!

Until then, you can follow me for more craftiness fun at Artzy Creations or on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest,Twitter, and Google +.

If you like this project, check out these fun projects too:

DIY Paper Mache Santas

Easy Wood Slice Snowman Ornaments

Paper Straw Snowflake Ornaments

The post Free Christmas Ornament Coloring Page appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi Everyone! This is Melanie from Artzy Creations here to share with you, a fun Thanksgiving craft for kids. At our house, it’s typically a long day for the kids and they get a little restless waiting for the big Thanksgiving dinner. Not this year… I’ve come up with a clever way to create a turkey using just a few materials and some wood slices. I love wood slices and how versatile they are for so many crafts. Plus, they make the cutest darned turkeys.

This Wood Slice Turkey is great because you can have the pieces pre cut and put in separate bags for the kids to complete on Thanksgiving day. That really helps make this project extra simple, easy to distribute and manage on that busy day.

Supplies Needed:

• Wood Slices
• Red Felt
• Orange Felt
• Googly Eyes
• Tacky Glue (It’s great for kids to use for this project.) or Hot Glue
• Colored Ribbon

Step 1: Cut several pieces of different colored ribbon to roughly 3″ in length. Make a loop and place a dab of glue between the ends of the ribbon to glue them together.

Step 2: Glue the loops of ribbon to the back of the turkey and space them out just a little bit in a fan pattern.

Step 3: Next, you will create the legs of the turkey by taking two pieces of ribbon, roughly 1″ in lenght and glue these pieces to the back of the turkey. If you’re using ribbon with a pattern (like mine) make sure the pattern is facing the front so you can see it. You can angle the legs like I did or have them just go straight up and down.

Step 3: Take a little piece of red felt and a cut a curved waddle shape. Use a small piece of orange felt and cut a triangle for the beak.

Step 4: Glue the waddle shape down first. Followed by the beak. Finally, glue the googly eyes on.

Look at these cute turkeys. They will be a kid crowd pleaser for sure.

They are not only cute, but they make great a table decorations. You could also turn these into magnets for the fridge too.

I hope you enjoyed this project! I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. I will see you all in December. Until then you can follow me for more craftiness fun at Artzy Creations or on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

If you like this project, check out these fun projects too:

Color Blocked Leaves

Borax Star Ornaments

Borax Star Ornaments

Free Fall Coloring Page

Free Fall Coloring Page

The post Wood Slice Turkey appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I don’t know about you… but, I never have enough cute organizers for my school office or my craft supplies. This little handy Mason Jar Caddy is really easy to make and is super handy, so let’s get started!

Supplies Needed:

• Wood Caddy
• Chalk Paint in Two Contrasting Colors (only one needed if using Vinyl)
• Paint Brush
• (4) small Mason Jars
• Cricut or Silhouette Machine, vinyl and transfer tape
• “Supplies” .png for cutpath or printing for hand transfer can be found HERE

Step 1: Paint the caddy using chalk paint and let it dry.

Step 2: Cut out the lettering using one of the cut machines and a piece of vinyl. Remove the letters and transfer to the caddy.

Step 3: If you don’t have a cutting machine, you can still print out the lettering and using the old pencil and tracing method, put the lettering onto the caddy and then paint it in by hand.

Step 4: Put the Mason Jars in the supply caddy and fill with all of your office or craft supplies.

This is just a fun project that really doesn’t take a lot of time or supplies. I can’t wait to put this in my office at school. It’s just a nice simple solution to help organize an office or craft room that doesn’t require a lot of time or money and the best part is, you can customize it in any way to show off a little bit of your personality.

Enjoy!

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

DIY Sidewalk Chalk Pumpkins

DIY Sidewalk Chalk Pumpkins

Easy DIY Mummy Wreath

Easy DIY Mummy Wreath

The post Mason Jar Supply Caddy appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi to all of the Made From Pinterest fans! It’s me, Melanie from Artzy Creations and I’m here to share with you, another fun craft, just in time for Back To School. Can you believe it’s back to school time already? I can’t. The summer has flown by and being a teacher myself, I’m gearing up for the new school year. Buying my new pencils, pens, crayons, not only for my kiddos, but for myself as well. This Back To School Teacher Crayon Wreath is a simple but awesome back to school teacher gift that would bring a smile to any teacher’s face because it would make for a great room decoration. Trust me on this… being a teacher, I definitely know!

Supplies Needed:

• Round Picture Frame
• Piece of Cardboard
• Black Acrylic Paint
• Chalboard Paint
• Crayons ( I used three boxes.)
• White Chalk
• Paint Brush
• Hot Glue

Step 1: Find a picture frame that has a thick border to it at your local craft store. Paint the surface with the black acrylic paint and let it dry.

Step 2: I painted the cardboard insert that is used to hold and support an actual picture with chalkboard paint. Make sure to use a heavy piece of cardboard that isn’t corrugated because you don’t want the ridges. It’s needs to be a smooth surface. Apply 2 to 3 coats of the chalkboard paint and let dry.

Step 3: Hot glue the crayons in place. You can do a single layer like shown above or continue with a second layer as shown below.

Step 4: Use a piece of chalk to put A+ Teacher or the name of the teacher in the center.

It’s that simple and easy! And with crayons on sale right now, it really makes this project inexpensive. I’m telling you that any teacher would love to receive this as a back to school gift and you’d certainly put a big smile on their face.

Here is the wreath on my wall at school!

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Recycled Bird Feeder For Kids

Simple Blackberry Galette

 Pom Pom Ice Cream Cones For Kids

This awesome post has been shared with Home Stories A to Z

The post Back to School Teacher Crayon Wreath appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi Everyone! This is Melanie from Artzy Creations here to share with you another fun craft for kids. Summer is a perfect time to try simple and fun projects with the kiddos. Especially when the kids are looking for a good boredom buster. Having taught art for 18 years now, I have also looked for projects that you can upcycle/recycle. These Bottle Cap Bugs are great for kids for all ages because they can be as simple and intricate as you want. Kids can create all different types of bugs. Bees, Lady Bugs, Beetles, and all sorts of imaginary bugs are possible. Plus, you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg for your supplies.

Supplies Needed:

• Bottle Caps
• Transparency Paper
• Sharpie Markers
• Scissors
• Hot Glue or Elemer’s Glue (You can use Elemer’s Glue to glue the wings and eyes of the
• Hot Glue Gun
• Googly Eyes

Step 1: Using the transparency paper, cut any shape of wing.

Step 2: Color the wings in using the Sharpie markers using any pattern or design.

Step 3: Hot glue or use Elmer’s Glue to glue the wings onto the bottle cap.

Step 4: Glue the googly eyes on to the front of the bottle cap.

A couple of tips to share while making these cute bottle cap bugs. Sharpie Markers as you can see can get a little streaky. If you have younger kids make these, they might have to slow down a bit when coloring to make sure the marker is not too streaky. Also, remind kids to not drag their hands over areas that have just been colored. The marker will smear.

Look at all of this cuteness! I can’t pick a favorite because I love them all. My daughter’s just love making these and I’m sure your kids will too.

Thank you to the wonderful Made From Pinterest sisters for having me.

Hope you all continue to have a wonderful summer and enjoy all of the fun Bottle Cap Bug Making. See you next month!

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Check out these fun projects too:

DIY Mason Jar Aquarium Lamp

10 Minute Dinosaur Mason Jar For Kids

10 Minute Dinosaur Mason Jar For Kids

END POST

This awesome post has been shared with Home Stories A to Z

The post Make Bottle Cap Bugs! appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

The trick is finding a log that has some character. I have been saving this one for a while just to turn into something special. I really like the different types of moss and the reddish color of the bark. Once you’ve selected a log to use you’re ready to get started…

Supplies Needed:

• Nice looking Log (approx. 6″ diameter)
• Drill
• 1-1/2″ Paddle Bit *
• Masking Tape
• Tea-light Candles (3 or 4)
• Circular Saw
• Bow Saw or Hand Saw for Wood (trimming ends)

*Note: The bit I used has a threaded tip. I DO NOT recommend using this bit. The threaded tip pulls the bit into the wood too quickly and makes it harder to control both the speed and depth of the bit. PLEASE take my advice and if purchasing a 1-1/2″ paddle bit, get a standard one. It will give you cleaner edges and make the drilling far easier.

Step 1: Using your bow or hand saw, trim an end off of your log. You could use a chain saw, but the chainsaw would probably leave chain marks on the end and I prefer the smooth look. Measure your log to 12″ in length, mark it, and trim the other end off.

Step 2: Take some scrap pieces of wood and create a cradle like structure (see above picture) to hold the log in place while you saw/flatten the bottom. This is so the log won’t roll off of whatever you decide to set it on.

Step 3: Choose what side you want to be the top of your log. turn that so it’s facing the left side of your cradle. Then take your circular saw and carefully run it down the right side (bottom of your log). You don’t need to take too much off. just enough to flatten the bottom out. If you need to take more off of the bottom and your saw blade isn’t cutting deep enough, flip your log so that you are cutting the bottom from the other side. When you’re finished it will look something like this…

Step 4: Now flip your log over so you’re looking at the top. Measure out the spacing of where you want your tea-light candles to go. I set them on top, spaced them so they looked even, and marked the centers. You could be exact, but that would be too much math and measuring for me

Step 5: Take your 1-1/2″ paddle bit and using a tea-light candle as a guide, place a piece of masking tape onto your paddle bit. This is an easy way to tell how deep you’ve drilled into your log. Once the top of the log is close to the tape, you know you’re just about deep enough. Test the depth with a tea-light candle. If you need to go a little deeper, drill some more, but go a little bit at a time. You really don’t want to go too deep, or the rim of your candle will sit too low. The tea-light candle will fit the 1-1/2″ drilled hole perfectly. Repeat this process for how ever many candles you have remaining.

Step 6: Place the tea-light candles into the holes and enjoy your new rustic, outdoorsy patio decor.

There you have it! Fun, simple and easy. This will be perfect for our outdoor patio table. I definitely will be making a lot more of these to have in our patio area too.

Thank you once again to the three awesome sisters from Made From Pinterest and I will see you next month.

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Check out these fun projects too:

Faux Drawer Planters with Chalk Paint

Water Bottle Holder with Free Pattern

This awesome post has been shared with Homestories A to Z and Whipperberry.

The post Log Candle Holder appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi Everyone! This is Melanie Artz from Artzy Creations again. Are you in love with succulents as much as I am? It seems like succulents are all the latest rage right now. I fell in love with succulents after having lived in California for many years. Succulents come in such a beautiful variety of colors and textures, but the best part for me was that they were very low maintenance. Now that I am living in Seattle, I can say that it’s really hard for me to keep my succulents alive, especially in the winter time. So, I decided to create a wreath using faux succulents. It can’t get any easier than that, right? I also wanted to create a look that would be perfect for the outdoors and was somewhat rustic. I used a recycled wine barrel ring also because I loved how worn it looks. Let’s get started and see just how easy it is to create this DIY Wine Barrel Ring Succulent Wreath.

Wine barrel rings come in different sizes between 22″ & 26″. Typically when you order wine barrel rings, you will have to order them in multiples, and you will probably end up with varying sizes and thicknesses.

Supplies:

• Wine Barrel Hoop
• Floral Wire
• Moss
• Several Faux Succulents of Various Sizes
• Wire Cutters
• Hot Glue (Optional)

Step 1: Gather a variety of succulents that have various colors and textures.

Step 2: Taking the large wire cutters, trim the succulents so the stem is an 1″ to 1-1/2″ long.

Step 3: Taking a long piece of floral wire (at least 24″), wrap it around the stem of the succulent and then wrap it around the wine barrel ring.

Step 4: Start placing the succulents in the middle of the wreath and work your way out.

Step 5: At the end, go back and fill in places with the moss. You can also use wire or hot glue to attach the moss to the bottom of the ring and hide all of the wire.

In no time at all, you can create this beautiful outdoor decor piece for your patio area, entrance way, or even hang it on the outside of your home permanently. The faux succulents will last forever on this piece… no watering required. You’ve gotta love that.

Enjoy, and I think you will fall in love with this DIY Wine Barrel Ring Succulent Wreath. I know I have.

Thank you to the wonderful sisters from Made from Pinterest for having me and I will see you next month.

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Check out these fun posts as well:

Succulent Initial Wreath

Succulent Initial Wreath

Construction Paper Seed Starters

Recycled Construction Paper Seed Starters

 This awesome post has been shared with Homestories A to Z and Whipperberry.

The post Wine Barrel Ring Succulent Wreath appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi again everyone! I’m Melanie from Artzy Creations and I have a fun tutorial today making hoop art. I have to tell you that I’ve been a little obsessed with hoop art lately. O.k. maybe alot! If you haven’t tried hoop art, it’s one of those crafts that it’s so easy and it’s almost meditative. I’m all about working on crafts that are easy and you can unwind a little from a hard days work while creating them. Let’s get started:

Supplies Needed:

• Embroidery Hoop (I used a 10″ hoop.)
• Various Colors of Yarn (Any combo will work.)
• Scissors
• Hot Glue
• Various Felt Scraps To Match
• (2) Miniature Birds

Step 1: Wrap the yarn around the hoop. I wrapped it until it covered about 1″. Before you switch colors, tie the string off with a knot. Make sure to tie a tight knot and you really want the knot to fall at the back of the hoop. If the knot ends up towards the front of the hoop, slide the knot towards the back. Trim the existing yarn and start wrapping the new yarn color.

This is how the back of the hoop looks when the knots are at the back. I also wrapped all of the loose ends as I was wrapping the yarn so none of the knots will come undone.

Step 2: Once the wrapping is completed, position the fake birds onto the hoop and hot glue them in place. I also painted mine to match the colors of yarn that I used.

Step 3: Take a scrap piece of felt between 1/4″ and 1/2″ thick and cut a fringe into it. You will leave a little room at the bottom of the fringe otherwise you would cut the pieces completely off. Run some hot glue at the bottom edge. Roll the piece of felt up. Hot glue the little fringe felt flower to the hoop.

There you have it! So simple and easy. This will add a nice little touch of Spring to your home.

I just love how cute the little birds are, and how colorful it is.

The possibilities are endless for hoop art. So, if you haven’t tried it, I highly recommend it.

Thank you again to the awesome sisters from Made From Pinterest for having me. I will see you next month with another great craft. You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Check out these great projects too:

5 Minute Rabbit Napkin Rings with Free Pattern

DIY Easter Bunny Art

This amazing article has been shared with Whipperberry!

The post Embroidery Hoop Art appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

SPRING SPRING SPRING!

Hi again everyone. I’m Melanie from Artzy Creations sharing with you this great spring project for making your own bright and colorful Duck Tape Plant Pockets. One of my favorite things about Spring is all of the beautiful flowers, but more importantly GARDENING! I Love gardening… especially flowers Well, one thing that I LOVE to make crafts out of is Duck Tape. It’s so easy to work with and it comes in SO many bright colors & fun patterns. For this project, I decided to combine both of these things and come up is a springtime project that would get anyone excited about Spring. It might look a little complicated, but once you get the hang of them they are really easy to make. Materials:

• (1) Roll Colored or Patterned Duck Tape (it will make 2 flower pockets if you don’t mess up )
• Cut Mat
• Metal Ruler/ Straight Edge
• X-Acto Knife & Blades (Scissors can work too, but I prefer an X-Acto knife. Use what you feel most comfortable with)
• Fine Point Sharpie Marker
• 3/8″ Metal Grommets and Tools to Install (Found at most hardware stores)
• Rope (I found the heavy duty twine at Michael’s.)

Step 1: Tear off a strip of tape just a little over 24″ in length and stick it to your cut mat. Try to use the lines as guides to get it pretty straight. It doesn’t have to be perfect because you can square it up later, so just get it close. Tear your next piece and slightly overlap the first piece and repeat using (6) strips total. Carefully peel the sheet of tape up and flip it over. Tear 6 more pieces of tape and place them sticky sides together. Step 2: Line up your straightest edge using the guides on your mat. Next, using your straight edge and x-acto knife, trim off and square up your end. Step 3: From your squared end, measure 1-1/2″ on both of your long sides and make a small mark. This is your fold. The reason you’re folding it is so that your Duck Tape fabric is doubled up. This will help keep the grommets from pulling out or ripping. Fold your piece back and tape it down. After it’s taped down, trim the excess on each side. Step 4: Now from your folded or doubled up end, measure and mark 10-1/2″, 12″, and 13-1/2″. Do this on both sides. Fold your Duck Tape fabric along your 12″ marks. Step 5: Now comes the part where you square up your sides if you need to, and trim your pocket to the correct width. First, with your pocket folded along your 12″ mark, align the top of your pocket with the grids on your cut mat. Take your straight edge and trim just enough of 1 side so that it’s straight. Next, measure 9-1/2″ from the side you just trimmed and mark it top and bottom. This is your final pocket width, so use your straight edge and trim this side up too. After cutting your pocket to the correct width, measure 1-1/2″ from the bottom of your pocket and make marks on both sides. Tear off a piece of tape approximately 11″ long. Using your 1-1/2″ marks as your guides, stick the tape to your pocket. Peel it up, flip it over and fold the tape over so it sticks to the back of the pocket. This doubled up strip at the bottom is just like the one at the top and is for your grommets. Step 6: open your pocket up so you can see the inside, and using a piece of tape, tape the inside to close it off. Your next step is to cut some slots close to the seam. These are for your drainage so your flowers don’t drown Trim the little bit of excess off of the sides. Now, measure from the seam and mark 6″ and 7″and make a marks. do this for both sides. The 6″ mark is your fold line and the 7″ is your 1″ lip, but before you fold it over, go ahead and trim it off. Then fold it to the inside and tape it in place.

“Stick” with me here…. you’re almost done!

Step 7: Tape both sides to create the pocket. Take another piece of tape about 11-12″ long and align it with the top of your pocket and wrap the tape to the rear. This will reinforce the top of the pocket and keep the sides from tearing. If you really want to be safe add anther one on top of the last. That’s it! Your pocket is done. Now it’s time for the grommets. Step 8: Make sure you’re on the back side, and measure 1-1/2″ over from each corner. Make small marks with a marker or a pencil. If we remember a little bit of geometry, we know that when we draw diagonal lines, the intersection is the center of the square. This is where we will punch our hole for the 3/8″ grommet. If you only want individual flower pockets, just add the grommets to the top, but if you want to link them up, punch holes at all four corners. Step 9: Using your grommet pliers or the hammer and grommet tool, install your grommets at each of the corners. Finally, you can use cord or rope to tie your pockets together, or just put nails through the grommets to hang them.

I love how these turned out and the brightly colored Duck Tape really makes the flowers pop.

Now go plant them with your favorite flowers or succulents!

Thank you to the wonderful sisters from Made From Pinterest and I will see you again next month with another fun craft idea for you.

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Check out these fun projects too:

Jelly Bean Bracelets

Jelly Bean Bracelets

Caterpillars with Recycled Easter Eggs

Cute Caterpillars Using Plastic Easter Eggs

Doily Dream Catcher

Doily Dreamcatcher

This awesome post has been shared with Whipperberry!

The post DIY Planter appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

It’s pretty amazing how well these end up looking. I think you’ll be pretty impressed with your results and so will the people that receive these little beauties. Now, let’s get started!

Here’s What You Need:

• Fimo or Sculpey Clay in Various Valentine’s Day Colors ( I used two each of the white, light pink, fuchsia, and red.)
• Heart Cookie Cutter (Mine was roughly 2″ to 2.5″)
• Small Dish
• Rolling Pin
• Paint Brush
• Gold Paint (Optional)

Step 1: On a clean surface, get a chunk of each of the colors. Work the soft clay in you hands kneading it until it really starts to soften. Do this for each color you will be using.

Step 2: Roll these out into roughly 1/4″ to 1/2″ coils. These do not need to be exact.

Step 3: Stick all of the coils together to create a big coil of all the colors.

Step 4: Take both ends of the sculpting clay in both hands and twist the clay in opposite directions. It’ll be like your wringing it. Wring/twist the clay several times to incorporate the colors together.

Step 5: Now, make a ball out of the clay.

The amount of sculpting clay I used made a whole lot of hearts. It made about 12. The biggest recommendation while making these would be to make sure that you add extra white to your color combinations. The other colors can over power the white leaving you with a very monotone color effect.

Step 6: Take your rolling pin and roll out the clay to about a 1/4″ thickness.

Step 7: Using the heart cookie cutter, cut out a heart. Ball up you sculpting clay again, roll the clay out, and cut another heart untill you have used all of your clay.

Step 8: Take a small glass dish or bowl and lay the the heart over it and place this in the oven. Follow the baking direction on the packaging. Let cool.

Step 9: Once this has cooled, use the gold paint to paint the edges of the heart.

The color possibilities are endless, and I really like how each of these are unique.

This was a batch that I made using mostly the pink colors.

Have fun making these. These really are beautiful and mine will be going to various people. I will be sending these out in my Valentine’s Day card exchange as a little something special. The others my daughter will be gifting to her reading group friends.

Thank you as always, to the wonderful sisters from Made From Pinterest for having me. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day and I hope it’s filled with lots of love… and hearts! Until next time.

If you like this project, check out these fun ones as well…

DIY String Art Valentine’s Day Cards

DIY Vanilla Heart Candle

DIY Vanilla Heart Candles

Candy Heart Arrows

Candy Heart Arrows

This awesome post has been shared with Home Stories A to Z and Living Well Spending Less.

The post Marbled Valentines Ring Dishes appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi to all of the Made From Pinterest Fans! This is Melanie from Artzy Creations again bringing you a very simple and easy DIY project for you for Valentine’s Day. I know what your thinking…Valentine’s Day already?! We just had Christmas and now it’s already on to Valentine’s Day. However, it will be here before you know it. Thanks to my youngest daughter Lily reminding me that Valentine’s Day is only WEEKS away. You would think I was paying her to say it. Lol! So, I wanted to bring you something that was simple, fun, and easy to make. Here’s how to make this Easy DIY Valentine’s Day Votive.

Here’s What You Need:

• Mason Jar
• Heart Stickers
• Pink Spray Paint (Matte Finish)
• Clear Spray Paint (Matte Finish)
• Ribbon, Trim, Scrapbook Pieces (Kaiser Craft) For Embellishment (Optional)
• Tea Light Candle

Step 1: Apply the heart stickers to the Mason Jar.

Step 2: Spray paint the jar and let dry.

Step 3: Very carefully and slowly peel off the heart stickers. If the spray paint happens to become scratched off before you seal it, take the spray paint and apply it to a paint brush and touch up the spot. When taking off the stickers, I found it was easiest to remove them from starting at the bottom and peeling them in a clockwise motion. That way it wouldn’t peel off any excess paint.

Step 4: Seal with the clear spray paint and let dry.

Step 5: Add ribbon or trim. You could even attach a love note!

I love how this turned out! If you have a special loved one that you would like to give a gift to, this would be just perfect. Or teacher’s would just melt, if they were to receive one. Just saying since I’m a teacher.

I love how this votive just radiates warmth and love.

Give your special Valentine something the will cherish and keep for a long time without spending hours laboring over the gift!

Thank you to three wonderful sisters from Made From Pinterest for having me. I hope your readers will hop on over and follow all of the crafty goodness from Artzy Creations.

Here’s wishing you all a wonderful 2015 and I will see you again in February!

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Check out these fun projects too!

Candy Heart Arrows

Candy Heart Arrows

Valentines day Gift Containers

Valentine’s Day Gift Containers

This post has been shared with Living Well Spending Less.

The post Valentine’s Day Votive appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi Everyone! This is Melanie again from Artzy Creations. Can you believe it’s the holiday season with Christmas right around the corner? My two daughters are so excited for all of the holiday festivities, but one thing they love the most is snow and snowmen. We moved up to the Pacific Northwest from Southern California a year and a half ago and we ALL love the fact that we have an occasional snow day or two. Last year, our very first snow day happened the Friday morning before our Winter Break. My girls couldn’t believe their luck. They were up at 5:30 making not just any ordinary snowman, but a snow girl that had a necklace and a snow dog as well. I will never forget that day. My girls squealed with delight and we all played in the snow for what seemed like hours. Well, we also just had our first snow day of this season, over Thanksgiving Break and we were once again having family fun in the snow. Since it was just a dusting of snow and not very packy, we couldn’t build a snowman. My daughters were a little disappointed. I thought, what if I could make them a snowman that would last … since the snow doesn’t last very long in the Pacific Northwest and neither do the snowmen. So, I created these rings for my daughters so Frosty could last just a little bit longer for them.

Here’ What You Need:

• Adjustable Ring With Glue On Pad (You can get them here)
• Black Sharpie Marker
• Orange Sharpie Marker
• White Nail Polish
• Clear Coat – optional

Step 1: Apply one coat of white nail polish to the top of the ring and let this dry. Apply a second coat.

Step 2: Take a black Sharpie marker and apply two dots for the eyes and four dots for the mouth. Take your orange Sharpie marker and make the nose. Let the marker dry and cover with clear coat if you like.

They’re simple to make, so I went ahead and made the entire package of 12. I decided that not only did I have enough for my girls, but we had enough to give all of the girls in Lily’s Kindergarten class, a ring for the holidays. I absolutely loved how these turned out.

But, even more than that… I loved that my daughters loved them.

I had to include this picture too because my youngest daughter Lily, was just so excited when I had her try them on. She just couldn’t contain herself.

So, if you’re looking for a fun project to make with or for your kids, this is one they’re sure to love. Besides making these for your kids classmates, they would also make great stocking stuffers.

Thank you again to the wonderful three sisters from Made From Pinterest for having me! I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Happy New Near! Until next time.

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

Check out these fun projects too!

Borax Star Ornaments

How To Make Borax Stars

Mason Jar Lid Snowmen

This amazing post has been shared with Tatertots and Jello and Living Well Spending Less!

The post Simple Snowmen Rings appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi to all of the Made From Pinterest fans! It’s Melanie again from Artzy Creations. Can you believe it’s November already? I can hardly believe it. It’s time to switch gears from Halloween to Thanksgiving and begin to think about that big Thanksgiving Day feast. I love when our family all comes together for the big meal. It seems like over the years each member of my family all has their specific role in helping to create Thanksgiving dinner. My Mom prepares the turkey and makes her legendary stuffing. My sister is know for her wonderful fruit salad. I prepare my Nanny’s (my Grandmother’s) traditional rolls and sometimes a dessert and then we all help to fill in all of the other dishes. However, it seems like every year I go to try and find something decorative for Thanksgiving or tableware I always find the same traditional look. So, this year I decided that we should have more of a modern twist to our Thanksgiving table. I also wanted everyone to be able to have their own keep sake that they could take home with them as well. I made these DIY Thanksgiving Leaves that have gold leaf added to the tips.

Here’s What You Need:

• Air Clay (I used Premier.)
• Gold Leaf
• Mod Podge
• White Acrylic Paint
• Gold Acrylic Paint
• Paint Brush
• Leaf Cookie Cutter
• Fondant Cake Impress Mold
• Small Cups
• Rolling Pin

Step 1: Roll out the air clay to a 1/4 – 3/8″ thickness. Using the leaf cookie cutter, cut out the leaf.

Step 2: Using the Fondant Cake Impress Mold, press the word “Thanks” into the leaf. Make sure to put the letters in backwards so it reads in the right direction. This is a great little tool to have. It’s very inexpensive, and can be used for a lot of things. I got this one on Ebay.

Step 3: Gentle cup the leaf in your hand and flip it over onto the top of a cup or bowl. This is called a slump mold in pottery. Let the leaf dry while it’s over the top of the cup or bowl. Slightly help mold the leaf to get the turned up edges.

They will look end up looking like these.

Step 4: Allow the leaves to dry for a day or two. If you need to speed up the drying process, you can stick them in the oven on 150 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until dry.

Step 5: Put a little Mod Podge on the ends of the leaves. Very carefully apply the gold leaf to the tips of the leaf. If you don’t want to add gold leaf, you can just paint them gold.

Here are some of the gold leaves. I loved how these turned out too.

Thank you again to the three awesome sisters from Made From Pinterest for having me. Until next time… and have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

You can follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

This awesome post has been shared with: Living Well Spending Less and Whipperberry

The post DIY Thanksgiving Leaves appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi to all of the Made From Pinterest Fans! I’m Melanie from Artzy Creations and I’m excited today to share with you this fun project for ice cream necklaces. My daughters LOVE ice cream. What kid doesn’t right? My youngest daughter Lily loves ice cream so much that she once wanted to change her middle name to strawberry ice cream. Yes, she’s that serious about her ice cream! Lol! However, I thought it would be great to make her an ice cream necklace with the new Mod Podge Collage Clay that came out not too long ago. I saw this Collage Clay online and thought this would be perfect for making swirled ice cream cones and so I had to try it.

Here’s What You Need:

• Mod Podge Collage Clay (Pink, White)
• Mod Podge Collage Drizzle Paint (This is optional because you don’t have to put the cherry on top of the ice cream cones.)
• Fimo
• Wax Paper
• Eye Pins
• Wire Cutters
• E6000
• Chain

Step 1:

The Mod Podge Collage Clay will come with different tips. Begin be placing the tip that has the jagged edge onto the collage clay bag. Lay out your wax paper and create your ice cream cone tops by swirling twice around with the collage clay and very gently pulling up at the end to create the pointed tip. If you have frosted cakes, this is the same concept. I made my ice cream cone tops about the size of a dime. However, you can make them any size you like.

Step 2:

Hold and eye pin next to the ice cream top and cut the eye pin with wire cutters. While the ice cream cone top is still wet, place this into the center of your ice cream cone. Take the red drizzle paint and make a cherry on top. Let this dry at least two days until firm to the touch.

Step 3:

Take a small amount of Fimo clay and start kneading it to soften it up. Form it into an ice cream cone shape. Take a tooth pick to hollow out the center of the cone and to help form the cone shape. Hold the ice cream cone up to the ice cream cone tops to see if they’re the right size as you make them. Follow the directions on the Fimo package for baking the clay in the oven.

Step 4:

Glue the ice cream cone top top to the bottom with the E6000 and let dry. Feed the chain through the eye pin.

There you have it! These ice cream cone necklaces make great small gifts for kids or better yet birthday party favors. Kids woill flip over these. These are just so much fun and my daughter LOVES these so much that she is going to wear one on her first day of school.

Thank you again to the 3 FABulous sisters from Made From Pinterest for having me again this month. I will see you next month with another great “Artzy” project for you.

Follow Artzy Creations on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google +.

In the mean time, check out these fun projects to make as well…

5 Minute Leather Bracelet

Fun Felt Party Crowns

We link partied this post with: Whipperberry, Skip To My Lou, and Tatertots and Jello

The post Ice Cream Cone Necklaces appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

My favorite was a crocheted strawberry hat. It was too cute for words. Anyhow, I’ve been inspired by all of the latest DIY’ers out there that have been using watermelon for inspiration. This summer I have seen skirts, bags, and picnic baskets all made to look like watermelons. So, I jumped on the band wagon and thought how cute a watermelon hat would be and how much my girls would love them!

Here’s What You Need:

• Cotton Bucket Hat
• Fabric Dye (Fuschia, Green, and Lime Green)
• Plastic Squirt Bottles
• Salt
• Gloves
• Drying Rack
• Black Acrylic Paint
• Small Paint Brush

Start by purchasing a bucket hat. Measure the circumference of your child’s head to make sure they need a child’s size. Otherwise, you may have to go with the adult size. The child’s size here was 21 and my daughters head measured 20″. This was just perfect for her with plenty of wiggle room. There are many places you can find these bucket hats. Local crafts stores will have them. However, I purchased mine on Ebay.

Prepare the Fabric Dye. Here are a couple of things that I did differently. When preparing the dye, I used only half of the dye amount. You are only making a squirt bottles worth of dye. Therefore, you will not need the entire package of dye. Next add 2 TBS. of salt.

This will help set the dye. You can also use soda ash. I opted for using salt because I didn’t have an soda ash and this works just as well. When you make the dye in the squirt bottle, the directions will tell you to use steaming hot water. I did this for the first bottle and put the lid on the container and shook it up. Little did I know that once I took my finger off the bottle, the cap came flying off and dye was everywhere in my kitchen. Ugh!

So, in order to prevent two clean ups, I mixed the next dye solution with half steam water and half warm water. I went and shook this up outside where I was doing my dying. The second time was much better. Make sure to saturate the entire hat in water and wring it out before you begin dying. This is very important! Otherwise, you will end up with a mess because dry fabric will resist the dye in the beginning.

Start with the lime green dye and dye the hat all the way up the brim where there is a border and stop. Next, take the green dye and dye the brim of the hat. Finish, with the fuchsia on the top of the hat. Try and leave a little area of white. This is a little difficult because the dye will spread and want to flow down because of gravity. Let this stand for a couple of hours.

Wash the hat in warm water with detergent as recommended by the dye instructions. Let this line dry. If the colors aren’t as vibrant as you would like, you can repeat the dying process again. Last step, take a small paint brush with the black acrylic paint and paint the watermelon seeds randomly onto the hat. Note*** Unless you let the hat sit overnight, the colors will turn out pretty light compared to the picture up above where the dye is in the hat. I wanted the hat to be on the lighter side as well. That is why I let it sit for only a couple of hours.

But, as you can see…Lily has a new favorite hat. She loves it so much that she even wears it around the house. I loved how it turned out and it’s so summery looking.

This is the perfect look for going to the pool, lake or beach.

Or, if you kids are anything like mine…the hat is just perfect for kickin’ it around and having a nice lemonade on a hot day!

Thank you again to the three sisters from Made From Pinterest for having me!

Follow Artzy Creations on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, and Twitter.

If you like the Cute Watermelon Kids Hat, check out these great project as well.

Ice Cream and Popsicle Necklaces For Kids with Free Template

Fun Felt Party Crowns

The post Cute Kids Watermelon Hat appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Hi Everyone! I’m Melanie Artz from Artzy Creations and I’m so excited to be here again on Made From Pinterest. Do I have a great DIY project for you. Look at these DIY Flower Concrete Votives. They are so simple and easy that you might just end up making them for family, friends, & everyone inbetween. This has to be one of my favorite projects as of late and is PER-fect for beautiful summer evenings. I hope you like them just as much as I do.

Here’s What You Need:

• Wilton Mini Flower Silicone Mold
• Pam Nonstick Spray
• *Mortar- not concrete
• (6) Tea Light Candles
• Container to Mix Mortar
• Trowel to mix the Mortar
• Sand Paper (Fine or 150 grit)
• Spray Paint (Optional)

I know, I know. I say concrete in the title and now I’m saying Mortar. Well, there’s a good reason why I’m using mortar and not concrete. Technically concrete is made up from 3 things… sand, aggregate (which are different sized rocks) & cement which is the binding agent. Because of the filler rocks in concrete, it’s not the best material for these small molds. Mortar is made up of cement and fine sand which fills in the molds better and will produce a lot less air bubbles. Concrete is just a better known term and sounds better in a DIY project title

Anyways, here is what you do…

Step 1: Start with about 6 medium trowels of Mortar. It’s a little better to have extra than to have to mix more up, but this was enough for the 6 votives with a little left over. Slowly add your water, mixing while adding. There;s a fine line between not enough and too much, so once it gets close, add little bits at a time until it’s a pretty thick soup.

Step 2: Generously spray your silicone mold with some nonstick cooking spray. You might not have to do this but I wanted them to come out of the mold pretty easily and it worked great. Once sprayed, fill each mold with the mortar mix. Don’t fill them all the way though. Keep the level to about 1/4″ from the top of the mold. This leaves room & keeps the mortar from overflowing the mold when you push the tea light candles in place. Lightly tap the sides of each cup in your mold to try to get out any air bubbles. This is a very important step or you will end up with holes in your votives after they dry, and do it a few times over the course of the next 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: First, inspect your tea light candles and make sure the sides aren’t flattened or crushed or whatever. You want a nice round one, so once you burn through the first one, it’s easy to pull it out & replace it with a new one. Set the candle as close to the center of the mold as possible and SLOWLY press it into your mixture while wiggling it back and fourth a little bit. This is honestly a little easier said than done, but it’s really not that difficult with a little patience. Notice how the one in the lower right of mine isn’t exactly centered. Once you insert them, it’s a little too late, but they still turn out cute, and maybe they add that little extra hand made look Push the candles down until the rim is flush with the mortar and let them set up some more. I found that every 10-15 mins over the next hour or so I was going back and pushing the candle back down into the mortar. it seemed to sort of want to float, plus as the mortar dries, it shrinks, so keep checking for a bit. Then I let these set up over night.

Step 4: Carefully take them out of the mold. You should notice that the tops have a little lip on them from the shrinking/drying process. That’s why I went back with some fine sand paper and LIGHTLY sanded the edges. I also took out the tea light candle and sanded the sides and bottom of the impression. You probably don’t have to do this, but I did because I think it gives it a really nice finished look.

Step 5: AND THAT’S IT! A completed tea light votive that you made yourself. They’d be absolutely perfect for camping or super cute just on the center of a picnic table.

I LOVE the raw- concrete look of these, but since I made six of these tea light candles, I decided to add a little color to a few by lightly spray painting them. I didn’t want to cover them too much because I still wanted to be able to see the porous nature of the concrete. I still haven’t decided which ones I like best and fortunately, I don’t have to decide since I have both options!

A huge thank you to the “Three Sisters” for letting me share this DIY with you, and I look forward to sharing another fun project next month with you here on Made From Pinterest.

PS… If you liked this DIY project, maybe you’d like this one too!

The Succulent Initial Wreath

We’re sharing this post with:

Living Well Spending Less

The post DIY Concrete Flower Votives appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

4th of July Rustic Mason Jars

Hi to all the Made From Pinterest fans! I’m Melanie Artz from Artzy Creations and I’m so excited to be here with you today. I blog about DIY, crafts, kids crafts along with a few recipes and beauty posts. Overall, if it’s “Artzy” you will find me making it! If you have a chance, I would love for you to stop by and check out Artzy Creations. Well, I had the pleasure of meeting the awesome Made From Pinterest sisters at the SNAP conference this past April and I’m so excited because they have asked me to be a regular contributor. Today, I want to share with you a great way to jazz up an every day Mason Jar for the up and coming 4th of July Holiday. With Mason Jars being so popular, I thought it would be super cute to have some that had ruffles on them making a great centerpiece. So, here is my tutorial for the 4th of July Rustic Mason Jar.

Here’s What You Need:

• Mason Jar (Quart Size with ring)
• White Spray Paint (Flat Protective Enamel)
• 3 Bandannas (Red, White & Blue) I found these at Walmart.
• Hot Glue
• Needle & Thread (But, a sewing machine is preferred)
• Button Cover Kit

Begin by spray painting the mason jar with the white spray paint and let the it dry thoroughly.

Step 1: Cut your three strips of fabric. Cut your Blue bandanna 4″ in width, Red to 3″, and White 2″. Make sure you have no finished edges remaining, so go ahead and cut them off of the ends.

Step 2: Fray the edges of your bandannas by pulling a few of the the top & bottom horizontal threads of the bandanna. You can also use a sewing pin to help fray the edges. Just pick at the individual strings and then pull on them to help the edges fray.

Step 3: Lay your (3) fabrics on top of one another and sew a loose single stitch down the middle.

Step 4: To create your ruffle, take one of the two threads and gently pull it, causing the sewn fabric to pucker.

Step 5: To create the fabric flower, cut a 1″ strip of fabric 6″ in length. Next, base stitch along the bottom of the fabric. Once you get to the end, pull it tight and sew/tie it off. Create a button using an easy button cover kit. I finished the flower by sewing the fabric covered button to the center.

There you have it. I think these would make great centerpieces for any 4th of July Celebration.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tutorial.

You can follow me at Artzy Creations Instagram Google+ Facebook Pinterest Twitter

Thanks so much Melanie! What a darling craft that we can make in plenty of time for the 4th of July.  We’ll see you next month!

We’re sharing this post with:

Living Well Spending Less

The post 4th of July Rustic Mason Jar appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.